ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Walking into the Allentown Fairground Agri-Plex on Saturday morning, you might have wondered if you stumbled into the largest crossover event ever.
Enough Spidermen to make you think you stumbled into the Spiderverse. So many Ghostbusters you could form a paranormal-fighting army.
And countless other cosplayers perusing millions of comics, meeting artists, and relishing the experience of all things nerdy.
Thousands of visitors packed the 59,000-square-foot building on April 13 for the 23rd year of the Lehigh Valley Comic Convention, bringing artists from various properties, craftsmen and women, and costumed individuals ranging from amateurs to true professionals under one roof to celebrate a multitude of imaginary worlds.
According to LVCC co-owner Karen Rello, it’s been a long journey to get to this point.
“I’m a big fan of the ‘con team, I love to see the costumes, love to see the vehicles, and just love hanging out with other geeks and nerds."Howard Magnes, Lehigh Valley Comic Convention attendee
The ‘con began as a small event at a local firehall before making a move to the Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville — where it will return this summer — but Saturday was its very first show at the fairgrounds.
Packing the Agri-Plex with sorts of fandoms — from superheroes rooted in Marvel and DC to anime and manga fanatics to classic creepy mystery and horror comics to sci-fi staples such as Star Wars to famous vehicles including the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard and KITT from Knight Rider — was a tremendous feat to bring the whole event together.
But based on fan reactions, it was an incredible success.
“That was the goal. We wanted to have an excellent turnout because that's what it's all about fun with pop culture,” Rello said.
A walk through the entrance led to a plethora of tables hawking single-issue comics from 50 cents on up, to high-quality collectors’ editions priced in the thousands of dollars. Collectible figures, plushies, and handcrafted memorabilia were piled high on plenty of tables throughout the area.
Toward the back of the adjoining room sat KITT, the General Lee, and the A-Team’s beloved van. Nearby, a cosplay club attracted plenty of attention with their incredible Star Wars outfits, spanning from the very first movies to niche characters from across the property’s vast galaxy.
Of course, some of the biggest draws were the artists behind some of the most beloved franchises known to the world of comics.
Jim Balent and Holly Golightly, the husband-and-wife team behind BroadSword Comics, attracted countless fans for autographs from Balent – well-known for revamping Catwoman over 30 years ago – and original sketches by Golightly – who has worked on various Archie Comics lines over the years.
Asked about the vibe of the convention, Balent was enthusiastic to engage with longtime fans and first-time readers alike.
“Oh, it's wonderful. I love meeting all the readers. These lovely people are fantastic; that they came all this way," Balent said,
"I think that Lehigh Valley is a great place if you're into comic books. Into art, this is the convention to be at.”
He said he loved talking to fans about his previous work alongside his original entries, including Tarot: Witch of the Back Rose, which he works on with Golightly.
“People bring in DC books, and they bring BroadSword books, mostly Catwoman, a lot of Tarot, so I'm happy to be here," he said. "These people gave me my career, so I'm here until the end. I love it.”
Just a few feet away, Golightly worked on original sketches with incredible speed and elegant detail, interacting with fans at the same time.
It’s a talent she picked up at the start of her career when she would do caricatures at weddings and bar mitzvahs.
These days, she spends the bulk of her time on Archie properties including Betty and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, in addition to working as a colorist on Tarot — who was inspired by Golightly, by the way.
In the end, it’s all about the fans, she said.
“Our readers are awesome,” Golightly said before gesturing toward a young woman dressed as Silk from the Spiderman universe. “And this young lady, last time I saw her she was seven years old. And now she's grown up to be a superhero.”
Working in a realm that has traditionally been dominated by men, Golightly said she was happy to take her lifelong love of comics and make her way into the industry. With more women entering the field and the fan base, it’s been a wonderful ride, she said.
“You know, the world will always change and hopefully we grow and evolve,” Golightly said. “I love all forms of the way people depict women.
"I think we have so many different goddesses, and I love every single one of them, every spectrum. It's so exciting to be an artist and yeah, I'm a girl, and I love drawing women. It’s joyful.”
Nearby, Jack Walther and his daughter Olivia — the young woman dressed as Silk — waited in line to meet with Balent, chatting happily with Golightly.
“It's very interesting, and I do a lot of art at home, so it’s inspiring for me,” Olivia Walther said when asked about meeting the artists.
Over at a table packed to the gills with various titles, Jay Ward said he came out to the convention to search through the stacks, trade extra copies of comics he already had, and hopefully pick up a few Golden Age books dated from before the mid-1950s.
“It’s pretty good. There's a couple of vendors here that are very reasonably priced, that's for sure. It's definitely a buyers’ market,” Ward said as a vendor checked some of his comics he was looking to offload — including a few titles worth hundreds of dollars.
Howard Magnes came to the convention in full Ghostbusters gear – he was dressed as Egon Spengler, played by Harold Ramis in the films – alongside his grandson Charlie, who appeared enthralled with all the excitement and characters in costumes.
“I’m a big fan of the ‘con team, I love to see the costumes, love to see the vehicles, and just love hanging out with other geeks and nerds,” Magnes said with a laugh after Charlie posed for a picture with a cosplayer decked out as the White Power Ranger.
Scott Hanna has been one of the most sought-after artists in the field of comics for years, working for both Marvel and DC and creating some of the most recognizable art for Avengers, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Batman, Superman, the X-Men, Green Lantern, and the Hulk, among others.
He also designed the tee-shirt for the Lehigh Valley Comic Convention this year.
Hanna said he was having a great time in the Lehigh Valley, especially speaking with fans who were enjoying their first convention, and showing young fans how the art in their favorite comics is made.
“It astonishes people when they see they see the artwork. But they don't always realize that there are real people that actually do this, you know, that I actually worked for Marvel and DC, and quite a few of the other people here have the same way,” Hanna said.
And it’s that personal connection that makes the Lehigh Valley Comic Convention what it is: a place for people to congregate and celebrate a shared love for the weird, wild, and creative world of things like comics, movies, television shows, and so much more.
“I love drawing in front of people for that reason, so they can see the process, see the evolution of the drawings,” Hanna said.
“I've heard this from many people, that drawing is real magic because you're literally creating something out of nothing. Now, it does take decades of work to get to that level where you can do it, but it's that reaction you get from the fans, it’s just joy. You know, that makes my day, when I can make somebody smile.”
